The Crystal Phoenix
by Sapphire Dragon 01x
Summary: What would happen if Gray wasn't alone on the day that Deliora attacked his home town? What would happen if he had had a little brother who had been saved from the rubble of his home by a creature thought long dead since the fall of Zeraf. Watch as Ashton (Ash) Fullbuster is taught magic by a Phoenix before leaving to find answers about his brother. ND/OC - YAIO
1. Chapter 1

**Well this is my first time posting on here and i choose to do a Fairy Tail Fanfic. Maybe i just love challenges.**

**Anyway i'm Sapphire dragon and this is my story about Gray having a little brother who learns magic from a Phoenix before going out to find answers about what happened to Gray. **

**Now there are a few things i should mention before you start read.**

**1- This will be a Yaoi story between my Original Character and Natsu. (I am sorry, but someone who is that dence around women has to be gay. I should know)**

**2- This is my first story so PLEASE PLEASE review. No point in posting if you don't tell me where i am going wrong. Though no flamers please. I mean there is a difference between constructive criticism and just being an ass.**

**3- Due to home life i will be trying to post a chapter every 2 weeks. So hang in there.**

**Finally i hope you all enjoy the story. On a side not i will eventually be posting a detailed description of all spells that i come up with. Though be warned some spells will be taken from other anime's. Like yugioh, digimon, pokemon, etc etc. (Not my fault all the good names are gone.)**

**Well Enjoy and see ya later.**

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**Disclaimer- I do not own Fairytail. Fairy tail and all it's charecters belong to Hiro Mashima. **

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Crystal Phoenix

Part 1- Rising from the Rubble

Year 774

Smoke rose from the rubble of what once used to be a busy and bustling town in the northern territory of Fiore. Less than an hour ago the great demon Deliora had left after it had annihilated the once peaceful town. A large portion of the townspeople had been successfully evacuated and were now on their way to hopefully new homes and better lives. However a few minutes ago an Ice mage by the name of Ur, along with her Student had come along to investigate the disturbance, only to be faced with the aftermath of Deliora's attack. Thankfully they were able to find a survivor, an 8 year old boy called Gray Fullbuster. Taking the injured boy from the ruins, the trio soon left. Not knowing that there was another survivor who was buried under some rubble not a few feet away from where the pair had found Gray.

Hovering in the sky, a creature that was now considered a legend looked upon the destruction and loss of life with sorrow and great pain. His silver and sapphire blue wings flapped lazily in the sky as his keen eyes surveyed the damage. The being in question is known as Iri, and he is the last living Phoenix left in Fiore. The rest of his species had left centuries ago after the Dark wizard Zeraf had tried to enslave them in attempts to harness their magical power. Iri had remained behind; believing that one day Fiore would one day need the power of a Phoenix sage once more.

Just as Iri was about to fly on he noticed some rubble moving, deciding to take a closer look the Phoenix flew down to the pile of rocks. Once he was closer he heard it.

"G…Gray…. Grayson… Where are you?" A small voice called out. Iri instantly realized that it was the voice of a child.

"Child are you okay?" Iri called out softly in his melodic voice.

"Who….who said that? Where's Gray? I'm trapped and I want Gray!" The boy cried out from under the rocks as the sound of him crying began to be heard. Deciding to take action, Iri took flight before he took hold of a few rocks in his claws. Flinging them away quite easily, he continued to fling them away until at last he was greeted to the sight of a young boy. If Iri had to guess he would estimate the boy's age at around 6, he had jet black hair and aqua blue eyes that were currently wide as they gazed up at him.

Ash didn't recognise the voice that of the person talking to him, but once he heard the sound of shifting rocks he soon knew that they were digging him out. His tears came to a stop as he simply laid there on his stomach and waited. His left leg was stuck under a heavy wooden beam that had fallen during Deliora's attack. Soon after everything had gone black and when he had awakened it was still black and he was surrounded by rock with his leg stuck under a beam. Thankfully it had only been a few minutes after he had begun to try and shift some rocks away that he heard a voice come from outside. Now he was just waiting, when enough rocks had been moved daylight temporarily blinded him. Yet when his sight returned and he looked up at his saviour he was shocked at what he saw before him.

Ash had never seen a creature like it before. It was taller than most adults, and was clearly avian. He was first taken by the seemingly warm and kind silver eyes the being looked at him with. His eyes then travelled downward. Its body covered by beautiful sapphire blue and silver feathers with a few bits of white added in, almost acting like highlights. Behind it trailed five long feathers that Ash could tell was his tail. In all honesty the creature had an almost majestic, possibly even regal look to it and the young boy was in awe.

"Wh…what are you?" He gasped out, not really knowing what else to say. The being seemed to look amused at his question.

"I'm a Phoenix little one. My name is Iri, now let's get that beam off of you before that we get into a deeper discussion." The now identified Iri stated. Ash simply nodded his head as he watched the bird reach out with one of its talons and effortlessly lift the beam off the boy's ankle. Ash was quick to stand up, only to fall back down onto his rear and cry out in pain. The moment he had put weight on his ankle it had given out under him and a shock of pain ran through his body, tears beginning to fall once again.

"It looks like your Ankle may be either sprained or even possibly broken little one. Just rest it for a few minutes and we'll see how it feels then. Now can I ask what happened here?" Iri asked softly in a comforting tone.

"The town was attacked by Deliora. I was heading out of the town with Gray when the building in front of us began to collapse. I pushed Gray out of the way and got buried. That's the last thing I remember. Did you see anyone else around here, a boy a little taller than me with dark blue hair and eyes?" Ash asked in a hopeful tone. Sadly he was got a negative in an answer.

"I'm sorry to say that I have not seen another person. It is most likely that either Gray escaped or unfortunately lost his life. Even after you tried to save his, it was very brave what you did. You should be proud of yourself." The Phoenix stated with care as he reached out with a wing and gently brushed away the tears that were rolling down the boy's cheeks.

"Either way I'm alone now… what do I do?" Ash asked in a heartbroken tone of voice, his eyes growing empty as he just gazed at the ground. Iri stayed silent after that, an idea slowly forming in his mind. It was almost fate that he had spotted and rescued the boy. Now he had no home or family, all destroyed by the demons attack. It was as if the world was screaming at him to take the boy in. With a soft touch he lifted the boy's chin and looked him dead in the eyes.

"How would you like to come with me? I know I can't replace your parents but I can become your new dad. I could teach you my magic, a magic not seen in the lands of Fiore in hundreds of years. I can give you a new home." Iri stated with conviction, showing the child before him that he was truly serious about giving him a new place to call his home.

"R…really… you would take me in?" Ash asked, not really believing that the creature before him was offering him this.

"Indeed I would." Iri stated as he caressed the boy's cheek comfortingly with the feathers of his wing. Ash instinctually closed his eyes and leaned into the soft touch of the birds feathers. A few sobs escaped him as he thought about the offer. In all honesty the 6 year old had no better ideas; he had no family and no place to call home. He didn't know what he was going to do with his life now. Yet here was a creature of legend that was willing to take him in, teach him and even adopt him.

"I'll come with you Iri." The boy stated with a soft smile as a little bit of life once again entered those aqua blue eyes. The phoenix knew that it would be a few days before the full realisation of what had happened to the boy would sink in. But he promised himself that he would be there for the boy that had now become his adoptive son.

After waiting a few minutes Iri lowered himself down so that he was lying down on his stomach.

"I want you to climb onto my back and I'll fly us to our new home." He instructed the ebony haired boy who nodded in response. Hobbling over Ash climbed onto the birds back, being careful not to do any more damage to his already hurt ankle. Not to mention being careful not to pull out any of his new friends feathers.

"I'm not too heavy am I?" Ash asked a little worriedly. The response he got was a soft chuckle as Iri stood back up.

"Not at all, one of the many traits of my species is the ability to lift heavy objects that would be impossible for others our size. Of course if you were bigger and taller it would make flying with you on my back a little difficult but not impossible." Ash nodded his head as he wrapped his arms around the bird's neck gently while Iri began to spread his wings. With one mighty swipe the two of them shot up into the sky. Unable to help himself Ash let out an almost girly cry of shock which made Iri laugh.

"Hey you did that on purpose!" The boy accused.

"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't, but you'll never get me to confess." Was the teasing response he received back.

"Big meanie" Ash stated in a rather childish tone of voice, adding a pout to finish off the look he was aiming for. They flew in silence for a few minutes. Iri content to just let the boy watch the landscape below them go by. Ash had righted himself by now, no longer lying flat he watched in wonder as they flew over the snowy landscape.

"It's so beautiful." He stated in wonder.

"Indeed it is, by the way I never asked what your name was?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, I'm Ash, Ashton Fullbuster." He stated with a bright smile stretching across his face.

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**Dun dun DUHHHHH. Gray has a little brother. Although you kinda guessed that already lol. Anyway i hope you liked it and i hope you you drop me a note. **

**Later.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again. Well here is part two. **

**Now some may have noticed that three stories were uploaded at once. Originally i had planned to upload a chapter at a time. But once i realized how short these first three chapters were and how they all sorta go together i figured i would post them all up at once. **

**I hope you enjoyed part one, now here is part two. **

**Take care.**

**Sapphire Dragon**

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**Disclaimer- I do NOT OWN Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail and all of it's charecters belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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Crystal Phoenix

Part 2- Training and Surprises

Year 775

Ash Fullbuster had been living with the Phoenix Iri for about a year now, and if he had to be honest it was awesome. After immediately leaving his hometown the bird had flown his new charge south-west towards the aptly named Phoenix Mountains, granted it took them three days and they had to stop at night. Thankfully Iri's naturally warm body and feathers provided ash with enough warmth and comfort on those nights. During this time the boy's ankle had healed and once they arrived Iri had flown into a cave that led down to the base of one of the mountains. As they had descended it had gotten warmer and warmer until the child was sweating like mad. The 6 year old not able to resist asking why they were here of all places.

Flashback

"_Iri why have you brought me here, I was raised in the north, where it snows practically every day of the year?" The boy moaned as he the moment they had landed he had removed his top as in the current heat it felt uncomfortable. _

"_I promised you that I would teach you magic. Specifically my magic, now Phoenix magic is rather special. Just like dragon slaying magic. You become one with the element that you are learning, offering you unique skills. I am a Sacred Fire Phoenix; normally people believed that all my people were only able to use fire magic. This is not true, for each one of my kin uses a special fire that is made up of two different elements, one of which is of course fire. My fire is made up of fire and light." _

_Iri stated before a magical circle emerged beneath him. Immediately his body was surrounded by sapphire blue flames that flickered with silver at random intervals. It was a mesmerizing sight to the six year old as he sat there. _

"_Wow that is so cool…. So what is your branch of magic actually called?" Ash questioned, his curiosity truly peeked by now. Iri chuckled as he let the flames around him fade away before answering the question. _

"_You will become a Phoenix sage. Now there hasn't been any Phoenix sage's in a few hundred years. The ones that were around were killed by Zeraf, shortly after the rest of my kin left this land for newer and safer places to roost." The bird stated with a tinge of sadness in his voice._

"_You mean you're all on your own?" _

"_Indeed I am little one. At least I was, after all I have you now." Iri stated which made Ash smile and nod his head with approval. _

"_Now as I was saying, my branch of the Phoenix Arts is a mixture of Fire and light so you will be learning those branches of magic alongside my own." Ah's eyes widened before he smiled._

"_You mean I will be learning three different types of magic?" He asked excitedly. _

"_I guess you could see it that way. Thought technically you are learning my Phoenix Art magic and by doing so gives you access to both fire and light magic as default. It depends on the person's viewpoint. But we won't be doing that just yet. For now you need to get used to extreme heat, which is why I brought you here. While you are getting used to the heat I will be teaching you the basics, writing, reading, counting as well as navigation."_

_Ash nodded his head excitedly, unable to help but look forward to learning at these new things and become a mage._

End Flashback.

The first two months were utter hell for the boy. Iri had kept his words and began to teach him all he would need to be able to function once he re-joined the human populace. However it was what the bird but him through in regards to the heat that had really annoyed him. Having been brought up in a cold climate he was unused to extreme heat. It took him a week to get used to it only to have it get hotter. Iri had stated that he was increasing the heat until he would be able to stand in the Phoenix's own flames without being burned, only then would he be ready.

When he wasn't studying Ash was asking all sorts of questions about the world as well as bout magic and Iri's own kind. The boy had a thirst for knowledge, always wanting to learn, yet he was still fun-loving and could at times be silly. Iri liked this, it showed that Ash could be serious when he wanted to be but still knew how to have fun and wouldn't turn into a stuck up individual.

After those first two months the two had gotten close, so much so that Ash had now begun to call Iri Dad. When the bird had heard those words for the first time he couldn't help but puff out his chest a little in pride at the boy seeing him as his new dad. As time progressed they just got closer and closer, until one would think that the bird had raised the boy from birth. Yet despite this Iri was glad that the boy didn't forget about his parents or his brother. All though he was worried if once the boy left him and Ash found out his brother was alive, well let's just say that not even the Phoenix would want to be on the wrong end of an angry Ash.

After two months of getting used to the heat Ash began to learn magic. It had been rather difficult at first as Iri had to bathe the boy in his own flames for a full twenty four hours. Iri had explained to him that since his magic was a combination of two elements he needed to become one with first before eventually splitting his Phoenix fire into the two that made it. So he had sat there and breathed it in, allowing the flames to enter his lungs and become a part of his body. He did this for a full day. Not moving as he sat in a meditative stance so he could focus on allowing his body to willingly accept the flam as a part of himself.

Once it was over though he was excited to see that it had worked. He could create sapphire blue and silver flames appear over his hands. Though that was where the difficulty began, when he tried to learn spells it was difficult for him. At first this had upset Ash, but Iri had explained to him that a possible reason was maybe he had an inborn magical ability. While he was excited about having a natural magic, he was saddened to know it was hampering his studies and that he couldn't access that magic until it awakened on its own in the right circumstances.

But Ash's stubborn nature won through though in the end, as with each attempt to learn a spell that his new father had given him taught his body that despite him having an inborn magic he was going to be using this other magic as well. This also had the added bonus of his body adapting by drawing in more Ethernano and causing his magical core to grow bigger then what was expected of someone his age. That first year of learning and training had been tough but Ash had faced it all, he knew that there was a lot more to come as he had only scratched the surface of his Phoenix Art magic while not even attempting at splitting it into fire and light. Then of course there was the possibility that he had an in born magic that had yet to awaken.

But at the current moment in time all those thoughts were the last thing on his mind as today was Ash's 7th birthday and Iri had given him the day off. Currently the young Phoenix Sage in training was sitting on the soft rocky inlet that held his bed, book in hand as he awaited his father's return from wherever he had disappeared off to.

Over the past year Ash had grown a little taller in height and his hair had grown longer, now it was stylized in a short ponytail. Wearing only a long pair of black shorts due to him not needing much on in the intense heat of his home he turned the page of his book. It was one that had caught his eye when he had been looking through Iri's collection. In all honesty he was just glad that all the flammable items that were here all had a flame resistant spell on them. Otherwise he would get very bored very quickly, and a bored Ash was a dangerous Ash.

"Ash where are you I'm back?" The voice of his father called out through the cave.

"I'm over here dad." The boy called back as he saved his page and put the book down. Smiling, Ash watched as the familiar figure of the large bird that was his father appeared, though the bag that seemed to be strapped to his claw was new.

"Where did you go dad?"

"I went to a nearby forest to talk to an old friend who had connections to a nearby village so I could order a few things. After all it is your birthday today, I can't not get my son nothing now can I?" The phoenix stated with a chuckle. Ash just shook his head.

"Dad you saved my life, hell you took in me in and you are teaching me your magic. That's already something." He said honestly. In reality the day off was enough of a birthday gift, at least in his opinion it was. Still he was secretly happy that Iri had gotten him a gift. The Phoenix came over and offered is claw out, smiling ash took the package and opened it up to see what was inside. A large grin broke out as he pulled out a pair of grey trousers and a blue vest that had silver trimmings along the edges as well as a pair of black boots. Ash immediately got changed and then showed off his new look to his dad.

"So what do you think?" He asked the bird, his large and happy grin still on his face.

"I think it looks perfect. You look really nice son." Iri said proudly.

"Thanks dad, so what are we going to do today?"

"Well it's still your day off so we can do anything you want to do." Excited Ash immediately asked to know more about the history of Phoenix's.

As the day went on Iri told Ash all about how his species were the first creatures to instruct humans in their magic. How they were the ones that inspired the dragons to also teach human's their magic as well. He listened as he was told about Envari, the first Phoenix sage of Fiore, about how he was a strong mage who defended people and helped people who needed it and defended them from monsters and dark mages that threatened them. He was a warrior for good and that his branch of the Phoenix Arts was the combination of Fire and Wind.

It was an extremely powerful combination as they fed off of each other which resulted in in powerful attacks. But what Ash truly loved was that he rarely relied on his Phoenix magic, he used his wind magic mainly for defence. Creating walls of wind that would defend him and others while he used his fire magic to attack, only using his Phoenix magic against truly powerful foes.

After hearing this Ash said that he wanted to do the same. Only he wanted to make his own spells for his fire and light magic.

"You know creating spells from scratch will be very hard son, it's typically only really experienced mages that begin to create making their own spells." Iri stated, though he was proud of his son's ambition.

"I know it will dad, that's why I got this book from the library" he stated as he showed the book that he had been reading earlier. Iri leaned down and read the title on the front, A beginners guide to the craft of making spells.

"You really are a stubborn one aren't you little one."

"Got that right, beside the book says that I need to have a near perfect understanding of how the magic works, what better place to start coming up with ideas then while I am still being taught about it. I mean you are not just teaching me spells. You are telling me how they work and how the very essence of my magic works."

"That is very true" The phoenix stated with a soft chuckle as he wrapped his wrings around the boy, his version of a hug. Ash pouted a little but couldn't help but giggle a little before returning the hug.

"Love you dad."

"Love you to son."

Break.

Year 776

After Ash's birthday Iri got right back into teaching his son how to use his magic. Teaching him new spells as well as teaching him how to move and fight. Despite being basically a really big bird the now 7 year old had yet to land a decent hit on his father. Iri told ash that because of his body type that he was best suited for speed and flexibility. At first Ash was a little disappointed he didn't have much power behind his punches, but was told they would work on power later.

They first stated working on his speed and reaction time, which basically consisted of Ash running as fast as he could while dodging attacks thrown at him by Iri while Ash yelled at him for being a slave driver.

His study in magic vastly improved as well. He learned each spell that he was taught, but since Ash was adamant about creating his own spells the boy asked Iri to explain to him how each spell worked and what parts of his magic did what to make the spell work. Iri was incredibly proud of his son and answered each of his questions with a smile. Ash continued to train and work harder as he wanted to prove to his father that when he chose to teach him he wasn't wasting his time. As the year progressed Ash grew taller and fitter as his training with Iri grew more and more intense, however a couple months before his 8th birthday his father came to him with a rather strange question.

Flashback

"_Ash, will you come here for a minute I need to tell you something." Iri called out as he watched his son go through a chain of spells he was trying to perfect learning. Stopping, Ash ran over to the Phoenix laughing, excited at possibly learning a new spell._

"_What's up dad, do you have a new spell for me to learn?" _

"_Not at the moment, I want to be able to pull off that chain of spells perfectly first before showing you something else. What I wanted to tell you was that it's time that you started to learn how to use a weapon." Iri stated with a chuckle and shake of his head the boy's enthusiasm._

"_Why do I need to know how to use a weapon?" _

"_Well I don't mean use a weapon like a swordsman. I mean use a weapon that would work in conjunction with your magic. Like Envari, he used a large fan that he used with both of his magic's, increasing both in strength and power." The bird explained. _

"_Oh I get it now. So it can be any weapon I want right?" Ash asked as he began to get excited once more._

"_Well yes the decision is totally yours to make. However I do warn you not to choose a weapon simply because it's cool or powerful. You should choose one that would work with how you fight as well as be compatible with your magic. I mean it would be pretty stupid if a water mage chose to use a blade that could use fire. They would cancel each other out." Ash's face grew serious for a minute as he thought closely on what his father had said before he smiled once again. _

"_No problem dad. I'll make a good choice."_

Flashback end

Iri had asked Ash if he had decided on a weapon as he was thinking of getting him one of the weapon he chose for his 8th birthday. Unfortunately he had still not made up his mind. So instead he had settled on getting him a new book about crafting your own spells which the now 8 year old absolutely loved and barely ever put down.

After that birthday Iri began to show Ash how to separate his magic into the two different magic's that it was made up off. At first Ash had issues, as to him it felt like he was trying to split himself in half. At first they started off with focussing on his light magic as that would be primarily used for his defence spells as well as the odd offensive ones. It took him nearly a month to accomplish to accomplish this; however when he got his hand completely covered in the silver aura that was his light magic the boy was practically jumping off the ceiling of their cave in joy.

After that it was just like before. He focussed on his light magic and learned a few basic spells from Iri before moving onto his Fire magic which was made up of sapphire blue flames that Ash couldn't help but enjoy making animals out of making them dance around and play about.

However it was towards the end of the boys third year that they truly got a surprise that shocked both of them.

Ash jumped from one of the columns of rock to another as he dodged one of his father's fireballs. Ducking down behind a boulder he took a few deep breaths and began to come up with a plan of attack. Going through a few idea's he came up with a plan, taking another breath to calm his nerves, Ash jumped out from his hiding spot and held out is arm.

"Phoenix Art: Divine Fire!" He cried out, a magic circle that bore the colours he now associated with him and his father appeared before out of it a large ball of blue and silver fire shot out toward the Phoenix. Iri smiled, it was the first spell he had ever taught the boy, but he wasn't going to go easy on him, using his wings to shield himself before retaliating with the exact same spell. Seeing this Ash smiled as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"Shield of Heaven!" A large silver magical circle appeared in front of him. Holding firm Ash tensed as he felt the fireball impact with one of the first defensive light spells he had been shown though he was pushed back a couple of feet.

Acting quickly Ash used his fire magic to propel him into the air. Looking down at his father the boy smirked as called out his next attack.

"Phoenix Art: Trial by Fire!" This attack launched multiple fireballs at his opponents that rained down from above them. It was an incredibly hard move to dodge due to multiple targets as well as the speed at which they descended.

Iri just smirked as he allowed them to hit him, allowing his body to absorb the power behind them. As just like Dragon Slayers, a Phoenix as well as a Phoenix Sage could take any magic that was the same as theirs. Although they didn't eat it, all they did was either absorb it or breathe it in.

Ash landed in a crouch as he looked over at the smoke that was currently concealing his opponent. He waited to see if he had hit his mark, but when a beam of Phoenix fire shot out at him Ash immediately tried to dodge. He had yet to learn how to absorb his elements so his only option at the moment was to dodge in order to avoid injury.

As Ash made his mover his foot got caught on some debris that had come loose from the impact of his last attack. His eyes widened as he watched as the beam of energy came closer and closer to him. That was when something strange happened. Instinct took over as he got up onto his feet and held out his left hand with the palm up. He then balled his right hand into a first and placed it on top of his palm. Focussing a different kind of magic he never even knew he had he cried out at the top of his lungs.

"CRYSTAL MAKE: CRYSTAL DEFENCE!" Immediately after yelling that, the ground shook a little as large pillars of aqua blue crystals rose from the ground and created a wall in which to defend the boy as the beam crashed into them. The crystals were able to stop the beam from hitting him, however the wall did crumble away into nothing.

Everything grew silent as both Iri and Ash stood there with wide eyes at what they had both just witnessed. They had already known that it was highly probable that Ash held a dormant inborn magic, but seeing it for the first time was something else altogether. Iri slowly walked over to his son with a proud air around him. Ash just stood there still in absolute shock, seeing this the Phoenix couldn't help but chuckle. This brought Ash out of his stupor as he looked up at his dad before smiling that silly grin of his.

"So…. Umm…. I can make crystals I guess." He stuttered out while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment at how he was taking this.

"So it seems. You know what this means don't you?" When Iri got a shake of the boys head for a response the bird did his equivalent of an evil smirk.

"Your training gets harder from here on out."

"Bugger" Was all that Ash Said before he fell to his knees and began to cry as his mind began to fill with all the horrific images of what his father was going to do to him. This of course wasn't helped by the evil laugh that left the Phoenix.

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**Well that's part two done with. **

**So Ash has Maker magic as well, just like his older brother. Only he makes crystals. (Which in my opinion is better then ice.) Some may feel that i may have overpowered Ash a little with the magics i have given but considering what i could have done to him, I think i held myself back quite a bit and successfully explained why he sorta has 2 but four different kind of magic. **

**Anyway, please review and leave your suggestions.**

**NO FLAMERS. **

**Later**


	3. Chapter 3

**Crystal Phoenix Part 3. **

**I really had fun doing this one. Especially when it came to coming up with spells for Ash. I get the feeling MANY of you will realize where i got a few of the names from. So just for reference. **

**I DON'T OWN THOSE NAMES. THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTED ANIME.**

**Now that's out of the way. I gotta say this is my longest chapter yet. and they are gonna get longer as things go on. I am just easing myself into this. I don't want to rush and i will eventually come back and more then likely update each chapter at a MUCH later date. **

**I have no idea if you like the story or are looking forward to more chapters so please let me know.**

**Take care guys. **

**Sapphire Dragon. **

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**Disclaimer- I do NOT OWN Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail and all it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima. **

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Crystal Phoenix

Part 3- Time Runs Out

Year 781

Five years had passed since Ash had shown that his in born magic was a rare piece of maker magic. Iri had explained that maker magic was highly versatile, that the only real restriction that it had was the users own imagination. The Phoenix had immediately made contact with his connection in the nearby forest and asked to get him a book about maker magic which Ash immediately began to read to get a better grasp of his new magic. While at the same time he also continued his study with his Phoenix, fire and light magic.

His weapon choice eventually came up about a year after that event. For ages he had been going through book after book on different kinds of weapons, trying to find one that would work for him. While he knew how to fight hand to hand sort of, he was mainly a long to mid-range fighter. That was his strengths so he decided to find one that would work well with that, initially he had thought about using guns but ended up turning that down. It wasn't until he was hunting one day that it came to him. He had been tracking down a large buck for some meat, however he couldn't get close enough without making some form of noise, and using one of his spells would cause more noise that would scare his target away.

It was then that he thought about how he wished he had a bow with him. That's when he thought about his new making. Taking a stance he had called on his maker magic and created a bow of crystal as well as a few arrows. The string on his bow was made of a thread of strong magic. He had smiled and then proceeded to catch his meal for the next few days.

After that had happened he decided that he would always use his maker magic to create a bow as he didn't really feel comfortable carrying a bow around that could possibly be stolen, not to mention he already had enough magic. There was no way he wanted to learn requip magic either, what he had already was enough.

When he had told Iri about wanting to use a bow, the bird had been very proud of the fact that he had taken his time to figure out exactly what best suited the boy. From there the training had grown tougher, the Phoenix never letting up as he wanted his son to be as strong as possible before he had to leave. Iri new that time was drawing closer and closer. He would have to let the boy go out into the world on his 13th birthday. It was how he and his kin had always done things. No matter how old the child was when a Phoenix adopted a child, they would always be let back out into the world the day after they turned 13th.

But he had pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind at that moment in time. He would tell his adopted son about what would happen when he turned 13 on his 12th birthday. Until then he simply focussed on training and spending every moment he could with Ash.

One moment that stood out most for him was when Ash had learned to take in the elements of his magic from the outside.

Flashback

"_Okay Ash, I want you to take a seat and just relax your body okay?" Iri instructed as the boy did as he was told now that he was sat down he placed his hands into his lap and began to relax his body and focus his mind. _

"_Now the ability to take in the elements you can use is something that only a Phoenix Sage and Dragon slayer can do. You see while you have been training the magic you have learned from me has been adapting your body. Once you master this ability your nails will become sharper like my talons so you can wield your Phoenix magic better. Your skin will become totally resistant to fire and light magic while being able to absorb them like my feathers. You sense of sight and hearing will increase immensely to be like mine are. Once you are able to do this you will be one step closer to becoming a true Phoenix sage." Iri explained slowly for his boy who was currently 10 years old. _

"_I understand dad. I won't let you down." Ash said with determination while his eyes burned with the same intensity as the fire he created with his magic. _

"_I know you will. Now what is going to happen is that I will surround you with my fire. Your job is to feel the two different types of magic that create it. You are to then draw that magic in through your skin or even breathe it in. Don't try to swallow it. While dragon slays have to stomach of a dragon to be able to do that, you have the lungs of a Phoenix. So breathe it in. Keep your mouth shut you got it?" He said sternly, mainly out of worry as he knew that if Ash attempted to eat the magic he would become really ill and put their schedule back a few weeks. _

_The boy nodded his head, Iri spread his wings and allows his blue/silver flames to surround and cover the boy. _

_Ash sat there, feeling the flames flicker all over his body and around him. Though he didn't get burnt he felt the gentle warmth of the flames surround him. But what he loved most about it was the fact that as it was his father's magic he felt nothing but love and a feeling of safety surround him. It was this feeling that allowed him to just relax and begin to open up his magic and interact with the magic of his father. _

_At first they fought against each other, he tried to simply take in the magic flames as a single entity. But as time passed by he began to grow frustrated, no matter what he tried it simply kept on fighting against his own magic. It was then that he remembered that Iri had told him to try and feel the two separate parts that made up his magic. So he began to separate his light and fire magic from each other. He allowed the two Magic's to move through his body in harmony, separate from each other, but in perfect sync. Ash then began to allow himself to pick out the two separate signatures that were in the fire that had engulfed him. It was hard and extremely taxing. But Iri had told him that once he had done it once his body and magic would remember what it did and he would be able to do it instinctually. Although he would need to practise it a couple of times before he would have it down perfectly. _

_For hours on end Ash sat there, focussing fully on the feeling that the light and fire magic had. He slowly allowed his own fire and light magic to synch with that of his fathers, it was a slow process, but soon the boy began to feel the fires around him begin to die away as a sensation that he could only describe as water drying on his skin was felt all over him. Still he kept his eyes closed and kept up his concentration. _

_Iri watched as the fires that were surrounding his son began to twirl around and pick up speed. The Phoenix knew at once what was happening. Soon the fires began to die down and the image of his son soon emerged. Trails of fire and light were being drawn to the child's, making it glow a little while he was unconsciously breathing it in, making his chest puff out a little. Until at last with one deep inhale the boy breathed the last of the fires in and his eyes opened. _

_Ash smiled as he looked up at his father, truly proud of himself for having accomplished his task. Standing up on shaking legs he laughed triumphantly. _

"_L…look dad… I did… I did…" The boy trailed off as he collapsed. Worn out from taking his body and magic core from accomplishing for the first time what would soon become second nature to him once practised. Iri smiled as he picked the boy up and carried him over to his bed. _

"_Indeed you did my son. Indeed you did."_

Flashback End

After that day it only took a couple of days of practise before it truly became second nature to the boy. This then led to tougher and harder fights between the two. Some days Ash would be restricted to using only one of his magic's. To only being able to use his bow or even just being unable to use any magic and having to rely on hand to hand combat. But Ash loved every second of his time. Other than training he also spent time working on coming up with his own spells and listening to his father's stories. The last few years of their time together were truly special to ash. However on his 12th birthday he was told by Iri what would be happening in a year's time when he turned 13.

Flashback

"_Ash I need to talk to you about what is going to happen next year." Iri said with clear sadness in his voice. Picking up on his father's saddened tone of voice the 12 year old looked up at him with concern. _

"_Sure thing dad, what is it?" He asked._

"_Ash… I am sorry to say this but the day after you turn 13 you will have to leave me."_

"_WHAT THE HELL!" He cried out instantly "Why do I have to leave… did I do something wrong, did I not do good enough? Please give me another chance I can do better!" The boy rambled as tears began to roll down his cheeks. Instantly Ash felt his father's soft feathery wings wrap around him and hold him close to his chest. _

"_Please don't cry son. Let me tell you this, you have never disappointed me at all in all the years you have been with me. It's just how me and my kin work, whenever we take in a child then stay with us until their thirteenth year. You see, just like normal birds, all children must leave the nest eventually. When a human turns thirteen we see this as them turning from a child into an adult, which means that it's time for them to leave the nest. However we always give the child a simple instruction to follow before they leave." Iri explained as Ash held on tightly to the creature that had been his father for nearly 6 full years now. _

"_What instruction will you be giving me?" He asked in a heartbroken tone as he looked up at the Phoenix. _

"_You will find out before you leave. However for the next year I want you to come up with at least two new spells for each magic you have. So that's a total of eight. I won't help you at all. I want to see what you can do. Ashton." The boy couldn't help but blush a little at being called by his full first name. _

"_I know you are smart and extremely resourceful, I have total faith in you and you need to realise that I will forever be proud of you so long as you stay true to who you are. So no going all evil and emo like the characters in those comics you read. Got it?" The avian said with a warm chuckle that Ash couldn't help but join in with. _

"_I promise dad, I'll always make sure that you are proud of me and I'll be just like Envari was, I'll show all of Fiore that a Phoenix Sage stands for good." He stated with pride. _

"_Good to hear son, now the only present you get this year is a set of your clothes only bigger. You'll be getting a truly special present next year. You have my word." Ash couldn't help but cheer and dance around a little at the prospect of getting a special present from his father, even if he had a year to wait for it. Besides it's not like he'll be bored, he head eight new spells to create and he also had to fine tune any problems he currently had in his skills. _

Flashback End

For his last year Ash threw himself into his studies, he was confident that he would be able to come up with eight new spells. He already had a few ideas for his crystal, light and fire magic, but it was his Phoenix magic that really caused him to stop and truly think. He wanted them to be special and in a way pay tribute to Iri as a way of saying thank you for raising him. Ash had split his time during the week so he could focus on his skills. On Mondays and Saturdays he would brush up on all his skills so that they were up to date. On Tuesday he would focus on his fire magic, on Wednesday he would focus on light, Thursday it is his Maker Magic and on Fridays it was his Phoenix magic. On Sunday he would focus on his studies and new spell ideas.

As each day went by Iri watched his boy grow taller and grew into his body, he soon reached a height of around 5 foot 5, which was pretty god for his age. His hair had grown longer though he had been sure to cut it every now and then, making sure that it never went beyond his shoulder blades, though you could never tell as he kept it in a short pony tail.

His body became muscular, but not overly, he was streamline, he was strong but his main power came from his speed and flexability. Iri had come to find it harder and harder for him to make a direct hit on his son as the finally year slowly passed him by.

Ash's skills with a bow had grown as well; now nearly hit every target he set his eyes on, although he still had room for improvement. The only way he could improve was through gaining experience, which is something he would get once he left. While the father and duo had spent less time than normal together due to Ash wanting his new spells to be a surprise, Iri had also been spending his time coming up with a couple of gifts that he would bestow onto ash on his thirteenth birthday.

Yet as the days slowly passed by the two both began to grow depressed as they knew that soon they would part, and with only a month left to go Ash had asked a question that had been plaguing him for a while.

"Hey dad… I got a question." He asked as he looked up at the Phoenix.

"Of course little one"

"Will… I mean… Once I leave will I ever see you again?" He asked softly as he looked down at the ground, fearing the answer that he may get. Iri sighed softly as he turned to the boy, lifting Ash's chin up with the tip of his wing.

"You will, but only 2 times depending on how your life goes." Ash tilted his head to the side and showed a clearly confused expression.

"What I mean to say is that I will visit you once on your 21st' birthday. For that is when you will truly be an adult and I will bestow onto you the final secret of being a Phoenix Sage. The second time I will visit you will be on your death bed. A phoenix is a being of rebirth, upon the day of your death I will appear before you and take your spirit to a place where all past Phoenix sages go. You will me and my kin as well as all others like you that had come before. Providing you don't use the abilities that I have given you for evil purposes. That way we will once more be together." Iri explained softly, singing a soft and melodic tune that relaxed his son.

Ash closed his eyes as he listened to the song, his body relaxing and his worries soon began to fade away with each note that he listened to.

"I hope I live a long life… so I can do enough good in the world so when we do meet you will be really proud of me." Ash whispered softly as he began to slowly drift off to sleep.

"I am pretty confident that you will do exactly that my son." Iri whispered back as he carried his son over to his bed.

Year 781- September 22nd

Today was the day, Ash's thirteenth birthday had finally arrived and he was both excited and depressed. But at the moment he had no time for either as he stood before his father and tried to hide a smile that threatened to spread across his face.

"Okay Ash, today is the day, you have had a year to come up with eight new spells, so are you ready?" Iri asked, trying to hide his own excitement.

"You bet dad, I thought I would first show you the spells I made for my light magic, then my maker magic, followed by fire then finally my Phoenix magic." He called out excitedly.

"Understood son, well don't keep me in suspense, have at it."

Ash chuckled before taking a calming breath. Then he opened his eyes and his face grew serious as he out his arms above his head. A magic seal formed and Ash called out the name of his first spell.

"Light of the Divine" He cried out as a beam of sliver shot from the magic circle. A light that was so bright it blinded Iri for a few seconds before it bore a hole into the rock in the cave roof above them.

"Light of the divine is a distraction/offensive move. The light it produces is enough to blind someone for a few seconds before hopefully the main part of the spell knocks them back a fair distance away doing some damage." Ash explained while Iri nodded his head in understanding before motioning for him to continue.

Nodding his head Ash created a bow made from crystal and pulled the magic string back, another magic seal appeared in front of him before he called out his next spell.

"Celestial Arrow" He cried as an arrow made of the boys light magic shot from the bow before embedding itself into the wall.

"Celestial arrow is a quick attack, meant to be used to pin an opponent or to possibly hit a fast moving target that I wouldn't be able to catch up to." Iri smiled. Both spells were useful and had more than one purpose other than just doing harm.

"Well I can say that I am very impressed so far from just your light magic spells. I look forward to seeing the rest." The Phoenix said proudly, causing a big grin to spread on his face before he went straight back to his demonstrations.

Ash quickly took his maker magic stance and called out his next two moves one immediately after the other.

"Crystal Make- Crystal Garden" He cried as the floor around him became encased in crystal with small crystals flowers growing. Ash then immediately went into his second spell.

"Crystal Make- Binding Chains" Immediately following him calling out the name of the spell chains made from his trademark aqua blue crystals were think chains that tried grasping at invisible enemies. When they didn't catch anything they simply shattered into glittering dust that fell down to the ground.

"Crystal Garden and Binding Chains are two spells that work with each other. Crystal Garden crystallizes the area around me, with the intent to catch my enemies. Catching their feet and holding them in place. While Binding chains is a spell that is used immediately afterwards to bind an enemy down so that he hopefully can't get away." Iri nodded his head and chuckled.

"Very useful and if I may say, extremely beautiful, those two moves will be extremely helpful if you have to catch an enemy or prevent one from possibly attacking an ally." He praised, making Ash blush deeply as he looked down at the floor out of embarrassment.

"Okay here is my next one" Ah called out as he once again created a bow made from crystal before holding it up. Once again a magic circle appeared only this time it was a familiar deep blue in colour.

"Flame Sniper" He cried out as a sapphire blue arrow made of fire shot out from the bow before it exploded in a shower of sparks.

"Flame Sniper is a spell that also has two purposes. Other than being used as an offensive attack it can be used as a signal flare to call for help." Ash explained as a still deep blush was on his cheeks as he continued to look down at the ground, trying really hard to hide his blush.

"Okay dad here is my next one." He stated though his face broke into a mischievous grin as he raised a hand above his head.

"RISING PHOENIX" He practically yelled as a Phoenix made from his fire rose from the magic circle and flew around before settling down on his shoulder.

"Rising Phoenix is a spell that summons a fire avatar in the shape of a Phoenix. It will last for about 5 minutes during which time it will defend me until either it's time runs out or takes too much damage." Ash stated. This spell caused Iri to laugh out.

"Looks like you really do love surprising me, and I am truly happy to see you created a spell, in a sense even though I won't be with you, a part of me will be there to help protect you from harm like any good father should." Ash nodded his head in agreement before dismissing the fire Phoenix, causing it to disappear in a burst of flame.

"Now it's time for you to show me the two spells that you created from your Phoenix magic, so let's see what you came up with." Iri stated, not bothering to hide his excitement nor his pride at seeing the spells his son had made.

"Actually dad I created 3, I know you only asked for two but there was a third spell that I wanted to make that would be… I hope a calling card similar to a certain spell that dragon slayers use." Now Iri was truly interested.

"Go for it son."

"You got it, here is the first one. Phoenix Art- Six Wing Defence" He cried out. A massive silver and blue magic circle appeared and out of it grew 3 pairs of Phoenix wings that wrapped opened in front of him, taking the appearance of a shield. Once it had faded Ash smiled.

"Six Wing Defence is as you can tell a purely defensive spell. It creates 3 pairs of wings that act as a shield to protect me as well as a large number of allies depending on how much magic I use in the spell." Iri nodded his head as he waited for the next spell.

"Okay here is the next one. Phoenix Art- Iri's Wrath" He called as out of another large magic circle came an almost exact copy of his father, although this Iri simply let out an angry cry before releasing a torrent of flames. Ash blushed deeply as he looked down as he awaited his father's opinion on this spell. The Phoenix in question was truly surprised that his son had created a spell after him. He puffed out his chest in pride.

"You made a spell based on me."

"Uh huh… after all, a parent's wrath is something that should scare anyone who dares to harm their child." Ash said nodding his head slowly, despite wanting to go over and hug his boy close but chose to wait until after the final spell was shown.

"Okay son, let's see this signature spell that I will be telling others of my kin about." Excitedly Ash nodded his head before taking in a deep breath and calling out.

"CALL OF THE PHOENIX" Ash cried out as he spun in a circle that immediate spread outwards in an ever growing ring of silver and blue flames. Once the wave of fire dissipated Ash faced his father with a big grin on his face, clearly proud of himself.

"Call of the Phoenix, I made it to be our equivalent of a dragon slayers roar. However unlike them our attack isn't confined to a single blast, ours is like a sound wave emanating from the caster. Depending on how much magic you pour into it determines its strength and how far it will travel out." Ash explained, truly proud of himself for creating a spell that would be their signature move, after all, they couldn't let the dragon slayers have all the fun. Iri smiled as he walked over and wrapped his wings around the ebony haired teen, holding him close as he smiled with utter pride in his son's skills.

"Those spells were amazing Ash, I can't wait to tell all of my Kin about these spells, you see despite them being far away we can still keep in constant contact. I bet they will absolutely love that last one." Iri stated with a chuckle, thinking along the same lines as his son in regards to them not having a signature move like the dragon slayers. Smiling the two walked back to the living area of their cave while Ash told Iri about all the other spells that he had thought of.

Pretty soon outside it was growing dark, in their little home Ash sat on his bed as Iri handed him a large bag.

"Here are my gifts to you soon. There are 4 in total not counting one final one that I will give you before I leave tomorrow." The Phoenix stated as he sat down next to his son and watched him pull out the first of his gifts.

Ash smiled as he saw a new set of clothes. He pulled out a pair of black, fingerless gloves, a sapphire blue jacket that had no arms and went down to back of his knees, as well as having a stylized silver Phoenix on the back. Long grey pants and a pair of black toeless boots. It was perfect in the boy's eyes.

Putting them to one side he reached in and pulled out a small book. Looking at his father with a confused expression, Iri decided to explain.

"In that book are all the Secret Phoenix sage spells that you need to learn by yourself, it also details an ability that all Phoenix Sage's have call ascension. It won't tell you how it activates as it's different from person to person, it only says what you can expect to happen when it does." Ah nodded his head before reaching in and pulling out his third gift which turned out to be a small oval pendant that held a tiny blue/silver flame.

"That in there is a flame from my heart. As you know legends say that a Phoenix has healing abilities, well we do, the spell is in the book I gave you, however it only has three uses before you need to leave it a Month to recharge."

"Okay dad, I understand." The teen stated, when he reached into the bag he found it to be empty, looking to his dad he was shocked to see him reach behind and pluck out one of his tail feathers. Iri then leaned over and pressed it to the back of the boy's small pony tail. There was a brief flash of light and when the large avian moved back Ash was shocked to find the tail feather had merged with his hair.

"That tail feather can never be removed. No matter how hard someone may try, a piece of me will always be with you now my son." Tears slowly began to roll down Ash's cheeks as he looked up at his father. Practically crashing into him, the teen held the Phoenix close, truly not wanting to leave his father. Softly Iri wrapped his arms around the boy and held him tight. Humming a soft melody that had served as his lullaby since he was six, Iri smiled fondly as he got to watch his son fall asleep one last time.

Break

The next morning Ash woke up outside of their cave, his back leaning against the trunk of a tree. Looking around he couldn't find his dad anywhere.

"Dad…. Dad where are you?" Ash called out as he looked around for his father, instead all he found was a large ruck sack that held a note on it. Sighing as he got the feeling he knew what this was about opened it and began to read.

**Ashton**

**I am sorry that I left you like this but I doubt my heart could suffer seeing you cry one more time, if I did I doubt I would ever leave you. I want to thank you for these past 7 years, you have truly brought light back into my life and I will always owe you for that. Now it's time for you to spread your own wings and leave the nest. **

**However know that you will always and will forever be my little one. Though you will not see me again until your 21st birthday, know I will always be watching over you. **

**Know it's time for your final gift and your Instruction. My instruction for you is to not join a guild for at least one year, I want you to travel and gain some real life experience first before joining a guild. **

**My gift is inside the bag. Know that even though you have never shown it, you were always destined to wield one of this. After all, what use is a Phoenix if they can't sing to calm their allies and help heal their friends? **

**Take care my son **

**Your Father**

**Iri**

**P.s. live a long and happy live. I look forward to seeing every second of it.**

Tears once again began to roll down Ash's cheeks as he held the note close to his body, deciding to take a look inside his bag he chuckled when he set his eyes upon what was inside. Originally he thought his father had gotten him another weapon, turned out he had actually gotten him a violin.

"Well at least I can say I have a hobby now instead of just saying I like to read." He muttered to himself with a little mirth coating his words. Placing the instrument back inside, he then threw his bag over his shoulder and looked up to the sky.

"Don't worry dad I'll be sure to do you proud, I swear I will" Ash cried with a smile before looking around him and suddenly his happy expression to one of annoyance.

"One thing….. WHERE THE HELL AM I?"

* * *

**Writing that last scene was really hard. I think i went through about 5 different versions before settling on that one. **

**Well Ash is now on his own and he has a year to gain some real life ****experience. **

**The following 2 chapters will be about his travels and eventual discovery of finding out his brother is alive. **

**I don't feel bad telling you guys this but when i get to chapter 6 just know that shit will hit the fan lol. **

**Well take care guys and again, please review and comment.**

**Later.**


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